Monica C. Lozano
Monica Lozano | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 21, 1956 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Business executive, publisher |
| Known for | President of College Futures Foundation; former CEO and publisher of La Opinión; board member at Walt Disney Company, Bank of America, UnionBanCal Corporation, Rockefeller Foundation, Target Corporation, Apple Inc. |
Monica Cecilia Lozano (born July 21, 1956) currently leads the San Francisco-based College Futures Foundation as its president. Before this role, she held the positions of publisher and CEO at La Opinión, recognized as the largest Spanish-language newspaper in the United States, and also served as CEO of its parent company, ImpreMedia, LLC. Lozano contributed to President Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board and was selected by the California State Legislature to participate in Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Commission on the 21st Century Economy.
Early life and education
Raised in Newport Beach after being born in Los Angeles, Lozano belongs to a family with deep roots in Spanish-language journalism. Her father, Ignacio E. Lozano Jr., was a diplomat, while her grandfather, Ignacio E. Lozano, Sr., established La Prensa in 1913, which evolved into the leading Spanish daily newspaper across the U.S. In 1926, he founded La Opinión in Los Angeles, leveraging its substantial local readership.
Lozano began studying literature at UCLA but temporarily halted her academic pursuits to support her family during her father’s tenure managing the family newspaper. In 1976, President Gerald Ford appointed her father as U.S. ambassador to El Salvador. She completed her secondary education at Santa Catalina School in 1974 and obtained a bachelor's degree in sociology and political science from the University of Oregon, where she also participated in feminist media through involvement with the Women's Press newspaper based in Eugene.
Career
Following her 1976 graduation, Lozano traveled extensively throughout Mexico and South America. She later acquired a degree in printing technology from the City College of San Francisco and gained experience working with bilingual newspapers. In November 1985, she joined La Opinión as managing editor alongside her family. Early the following year, her brother José I. Lozano—then publisher—sent her to the Poynter Institute for comprehensive training in media management.
Since 2000, Lozano has been a member of the board of directors at the Walt Disney Company, and in April 2006, she was appointed as an independent director at Bank of America. Her board memberships extend to Southern California's Weingart Foundation and the National Council of La Raza. She has also served on the Board of Regents for the University of California system and on the Board of Trustees at the University of Southern California. From 2001 onward, she has been part of the board at UnionBanCal Corporation, joining the board of the Rockefeller Foundation in 2012. Between 2002 and 2005, she held a directorship at Tenet Healthcare Corporation. Since 2014, Lozano has contributed to The Cisneros Center for New Americans’ board. In March 2016, she was named to the board of Target Corporation. Additionally, she is affiliated with the Inter-American Dialogue. Most recently, in January 2021, Lozano became a member of the board of directors for Apple Inc..
Personal life
In 1986, Lozano married Marcelo Centanino; they had two children before eventually divorcing.
During her tenure at La Opinión, Lozano tackled delicate topics such as AIDS within predominantly Catholic Latino communities, confronting stigma and fear associated with these issues. She also brought attention to elevated infant mortality rates among Hispanic women by focusing on prenatal healthcare coverage. Lozano advocated for a more "proactive" style of political reporting that included interviews with prominent figures like California Governor Pete Wilson and Senator Barbara Boxer.
In 1990, she assumed the role of publisher for El Eco del Valle serving the San Fernando Valley area. Her then-husband managed distribution operations after previously working in circulation at La Opinión. Around this period, Lozano advanced to Associate Publisher at La Opinión, collaborating under her brother’s leadership.
Awards
- Impact Award for Exceptional Leadership presented by the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) in 2021